cmdTab application switching failure

[Andy]

I have a general problem with Mac Office that the application and window
switching doesn't work properly. If I switch applications using cmdTAB the
correct window doesn't always appear in the foreground. This is especially
true of Word and Excel particularly when they have more than 1 document open.
Often a Finder window will appear on top even though the top bar of the
document window shows that that is supposed to be the one in focus. Even
worse it is sometimes impossible to bring the correct window to the front
even using any of the window menu commands, and this is often as it's ended
up in the wrong Spaces area! The only way seems to be to minimise the window
to the Dock and then click on it to bring it back. Anyone else had this
problem? Is there a solution? Or do I just have to consider it an annoyance?

BTW, I am using OS X 10.5.6 and Office 2008 12.1.5

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Andy -

Apparently you're among the few who didn't receive the memo ...

Office 2008 is NOT compatible with Spaces, so if this is the only anomaly
you've experienced consider yourself lucky. Just in case you're wondering it
is highly doubtful that the matter will be addressed until the release of
Snow Leopard unless Apple modifies Leopard before then.

I honestly don't pretend to know the facts but rumor has it that Office 2008
was built to work with what Apple had intended, but that there was a late
revision to the windowing mechanism of Leopard which MS didn't have time to
accommodate. Apparently it's something that can't simply be handled by an
update to Office. The whole matter is open to discussion - and there's been
plenty of that - but the net result is that Office 2008 apps just don't
behave as expected if Spaces is involved.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac